News and Announcements

Instead of carrying backpacks filled with homework and books, TKHS students Friday brought rakes and shovels and wore worn-out jeans and shoes that could get dirty. More importantly, they brought a positive attitude and a willingness to help.

The TKHS play "Cinderella" has been nominated for several awards by the Excellence Awards for local high school musical theater. TK has been nominated for excellence awards including Best Overall Performance, Best Musical Direction, Best Direction, and Best Scene Direction! Also, students Haley Bovee and Jack Schneider were nominated for best supporting actress and actor! Awards will be announced May 6 at the Excellence Awards at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center.

Two student film-making teams have been named finalists in the Meijer Great Choices Film Festival. Adrienne Duits with partner Samuel McKeown created a public service video celebrating diversity aimed at kindergarten through sixth-grade audiences and Liberty Tetzlaff and Ebbie Appel created a PSA celebrating diversity aimed at middle and high school students. The students are taking Jerry Robinson's digital media classes and will be recognized at the annual Meijer Great Choices Film Festival June 2 at Byron Center High School Fine Arts Center. More than 300 videos were entered with 60 finalists selected. The teams are guaranteed $75 gift cards for being named finalists. Top awards announced in June receive gift cards of $500 for third place; $1,000 for second place and $1,500 for first place.

Jack Schneider's "Pandora's Serpentine Heart" ceramic box was selected to be among the artwork at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Juried High School Area Show. The show is May 19 to June 10. The juried exhibition celebrates works of high school artists living in Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Jopseh and Van Buren counties. Schneider, a junior, said this is his first year taking art classes at the high school. His ceramic piece is based on the myth of Pandora.

Three Thornapple Kellogg Odyssey of the Mind teams have advanced to the World competition after finishing first or second at the state last weekend. Two teams will represent the high school and one team will represent the middle school. TK also sent three teams to the World Finals last year, including some of the same students who will be advancing this year.

Ellie Baranek rubbed her hands quickly together until she felt the heat building up in her palms. The fourth-grader quickly realized her action created friction that in turn created heat. "It's motion energy to heat energy," she deduced.
Her classmates rotated around the room to six different stations where they tried to answer the question "How do we know energy is present and moving in a system?" They also gained an understanding of how energy is transferable.

Two of the three TKHS Odyssey of the Mind teams will advance to the state finals in March hosted at TK. In all, Thornapple Kellogg Schools will send eight Odyssey of the Mind teams to the state finals.

Thornapple Kellogg High School students will bring the classic fairy tale "Cinderella" to the stage March 8, 9, and 10. It's a show the entire family will enjoy. Performances begin at 7 p.m. and ticket reservations are available now. Click on this story for a reservation form.